Microsoft is investigating Xbox Series X being outperformed by PS5 on third-party games

It would appear the PS5 is outperforming the Xbox Series X across a number of third-party games, early tests have shown.

Below, you can see a full comparison video from Digital Foundry, taking a look at games like Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition on both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. In the video, Digital Foundry finds that Devil May Cry 5's high frame rate mode runs noticeably better on the PS5 than on the Xbox Series X, and Dirt 5 has improved image quality and resolution on Sony's next-gen console.

"The [framerate] dips look really strange to me, and it kind of suggests to me some kind of API limitation on the Xbox side where the GPU is being held back by something," Digital Foundry's Rich Leadbetter says in the video above, discussing Devil May Cry 5's performance on both consoles. "I don’t really have any technical explanation for it, except the sense you’re getting here is that PlayStation 5 spec wise is punching above its weight, and something is up with Xbox — which on paper at least should be significantly ahead."

As Leadbetter alludes to, the performance gap between the PS5 and Xbox Series X is surprising because the latter console is more powerful on paper. While the PS5 has a grand total of 10.28 teraflops in GPU performance, the Xbox Series X is capable of 12 teraflops, so you'd expect Microsoft's next-gen console to be at least on par with Sony's console with third-party games like Devil May Cry 5 and Dirt 5.

But a report from The Verge claims that this could be down to development kits of the Xbox Series X. According to the publication's development sources, dev kits for Microsoft's more powerful next-gen console arrived later than that of the PS5, so developers had less time to adapt to and plan around the Xbox Series X.

"We are aware of performance issues in a handful of optimized titles on Xbox Series X|S and are actively working with our partners to identify and resolve the issues to ensure an optimal experience," a Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge. "As we begin a new console generation, our partners are just now scratching the surface of what next-gen consoles can do and minor bug fixes are expected as they learn how to take full advantage of our new platform."

There's good news on the horizon at least, as Microsoft commits to working with development partners to address the issues raised in the Digital Foundry video. Microsoft rounded out by saying "we are eager to continue working with developers to further explore the capability of Xbox Series X|S in the future."

If you're still on the hunt for Microsoft's more powerful next-gen console, head over to our Xbox Series X deals guide for an up-to-date list of retailers with expected stock.